Former National Security Official Steven Cash ’84 Sounds the Alarm About Authoritarianism
The country is facing the gravest threat to its constitutional democracy since the Civil War. That was the assessment of the current political situation from former national security official Steven Cash ’84 in a lecture and conversation with members of the Vassar community at Rockefeller Hall on September 16.
Cash’s career included stints with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department of Homeland Security, and the staffs of several congressional committees that oversee and assess national security issues. He is currently Executive Director of The Steady State, a non-profit advocacy organization whose members are former senior national security officials drawn from across the intelligence, diplomatic, homeland security, and defense communities.
Cash opened his talk by observing that his campus visits are usually happy occasions, such as class reunions. “This one isn’t fun,” he said, characterizing his talk as a warning and “call to action” for students and others who attended.
Noting that Vassar was founded coincidentally in 1861, the same year the Civil War began, he said that conflict “was the last time the fabric of this country was as threatened, [although] we have had perilous times since then.”
Cash said he did have some good news to share in the face of this crisis. “This institution is preparing you for this,” he told the more than 100 students who attended the talk. “Pay attention to what I am saying, but don’t trust me. Use your critical thinking skills. You are already being trained to collect and analyze data.”
Cash said his tasks at the CIA, Homeland Security, and congressional committees often involved tracking what he called “indicators” of emerging autocratic forms of government in countries around the world, “and we are seeing all of these indicators here right now.” They include taking control of the security apparatus, identifying “enemies” within the country, and threatening the media, legal professionals, and business communities, as well as institutions of higher learning. Colleges and universities are targets, Cash said, “because you guys are the Kryptonite of autocracy; you are trained to take on authority.”
Cash said he perceived a real threat to the voting process. “I think there’s a 50-50 chance we will never vote again in free and fair elections,” he said. “I’m really scared.”
Asked by several attendees what Americans ought to be doing to resist the rise of autocracy, Cash said it would take a sustained effort from young people and others across the country. He said it was up to every individual to decide exactly how to do this, “but you have the tools and you have to decide what you want to do to take action. You are going to have to decide what your red lines are and calculate your risks.”
Asked by President Elizabeth Bradley if he could cite any examples of countries facing such crises whose citizens had overcome autocratic rule, Cash paused and then mentioned the overthrow of Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic, following years of resistance, often led by student groups.
“This is your moment,” Cash told his audience. “Nothing like this has ever happened in my lifetime. I hope we come out of this.”
During the question-and-answer session following his talk, several students asked Cash for advice on how to fight back against current government policies. Cash said one way would be to form coalitions with people from a broad political spectrum. "Find people whom you disagree with on campus and ask them, 'Is democracy a way to solve this problem?'" He said local and state legislators can often act as allies as well.
“I still have confidence that all is not lost,” he concluded.
Cash’s talk was co-sponsored by the Center for Career Education, the Political Science Department, Democracy Matters, the Forum for Political, Thought and the Vassar Law Club. Cash was accompanied at the talk by a Steady State intern, Gianna Hoover ’26